I've been AWOL from the forum here for some time, but not without good reason. Just returned from a trip to Alaska. I re-visited a few favorite locations from past trips, and went some places I had not been to previously. I was traveling with one of my sons and 3 friends, and weather didn't cooperate too much so photography was not always the best, but there's always something great up there. I'm just sorting through the shots now... here are four of them.
(A few more can be seen here: http://krebsmicro.com/AK07b/index.html )

Unidentified wildflower in tundra, Denali National Park

Child's Glacier. Copper River Delta (about 48 miles outside Cordova). The face of this glacier is between 200-300 feet tall above the Copper River.
It's great to just watch it for a couple hours as pieces calve off.

Sow grizzly with cubs, Denali Nat'l Park. These were older cubs (not this years) and they were all taking a (long!) nap on the tundra.
Every so often the sow would raise up as seen here, look around and then flop down and go back to sleep.

Alaganak Slough, about 20 miles outside Cordova. This picture was taken at 11:33 pm, just about sunset!
There was a smelt (Hooligan) run ending here so the air was quite poignant with the smell of dead fish.
But this attracted plenty of Glaucous-winged Gulls, and the previous day we had counted about 100-150 bald eagle soaring very high above this region.

Last edited by Charles Krebs on Sun Jun 24, 2007 4:08 pm; edited 1 time in total

Joined: 07 Nov 2006Posts: 1533Location: Germany, in the United States of Europe

Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 7:37 am Post subject:

Charles, it´s nice that you haven´t been devoured by the bears and you arrived back home safely! These are beautiful pictures from an awesome country!

The bears on your photo look notably cuddly. I like bears and regret living in a bear-free country. Though last summer after ages Germany was bear country again for several weeks when a young bear of an Italian conservation program crossed the Alps and entered Bavaria. This gained a lot of medial interest, the bear was dubbed "Bruno", but despite public protest, poor Bruno was shot by a hunter on order of the Bavarian government.

Anyway, thanks for taking me on this short trip way up North to Alaska, and I am looking forward to going on more such virtual "Travels with Charlie".
(Just meant friendly, not at all as comparison to Steinbeck´s four-footed, hairy companion, you understand, of course.)

Best wishes,
Betty

Last edited by Planapo on Sun Jun 24, 2007 7:43 am; edited 1 time in total

I like bears and regret living in a bear-free country. Though last summer after ages Germany was bear country again for several weeks when a young bear of an Italian conservation program crossed the Alps and entered Bavaria. This gained a lot of medial interest, the bear was dubbed "Bruno", but despite public protest, poor Bruno was shot by a hunter on order of the Bavarian government.

That's too bad It certainly adds to a sense of "wilderness" when you see them out there.

I used to ask my buddies when we hiked around and camped up there...
"So... how does it feel to no longer be at the top of the food chain?"

I do realize the OP was posted 10 years ago, but cannot help chiming in, as we are going to Alaska in early June.

Charles / GrayPlayer / Anyone who has been to AK:
did you see northern lights in AK? Or try getting some diatoms there?

We are going on a cruise ship with two very young kids Probably not as fun, I know. So Denali has to be on our next trip.

We will see some glaciers / fjords / whales, I think (our route is Ketchikan - Tracy Arm - Juneau - Victoria, BC). I will bring a portable scope and see if I can get some diatoms from beach sand. Will also wake up in mid night at Juneau to try to catch northern lights, which is the most likely place for that on our route._________________Selling my Canon FD 200mm F/2.8 lens

. . . Will also wake up in mid night at Juneau to try to catch northern lights, which is the most likely place for that on our route.

If ever a post is topical after ten years, it's this one of Charlie's.

Fan, I spent a memorable summer/fall in Alaska some years ago, chasing the light during a largely photographic journey. An education for me was how bright it was all night until very late summer. During July and most of August, I could read all night under skylight, as the sun just barely set beneath the horizon, then skimmed at this level and rose again very soon. My flashlight was the most useless item in my kit. Only when mid-September came around, and I moved from northern Alaska to central/southern Alaska, did the nights become dark enough to see the northern lights. Once this happened, wow, what a show!

3 weeks one June /July we flew to Deadhorse, walked a bit on the Arctic Ocean then and drove down "the" road, camping. I'd do it again. We had no rain. We saw no bears though, and high summer is not when you'd see aurora._________________Chris R